Flowers of Shanghai, Vengeance Is Mine, & Late Autumn

Flowers of Shanghai is based on an Eileen Chang story, who also wrote the story that Lust, Caution is based on, about brothels in China in the early 20th century. It stars (the good) Tony Leung and Carina Lau, along with Michelle Reis (from both City of Lost Souls and the extremely excellent Fallen Angels, and who proves, again, just how hot miscegenation can be) and weirdly, besides Reis (from Macao), you have a mainlander, a Taiwanese, and a Japanese woman playing the main prostitutes in the film. It's directed by Hsiao-hsien Hou, who also did Café Lumière, Millenium Mambo, and Three Times, turns in another very good film, full of long takes, gorgeously red cinematography, and stunningly beautiful shots.

Vengeance Is Mine is a Shohei Imamura film, director of many films I like a lot, about a thief who just starts to kill for no real reason and then goes on the lamn in 1963-1964 Japan. And it covers his completely messed up family life. Really, really messed up. Ick. But it was a twisted film, with some surprising violence, fine acting, jumping around in time, and a sense of hopelessness that clearly reflects the Japan of the late 70s.

Late Autumn is another Ozu film, again starring Setsuko Hara, and is a remake of Late Spring, with Setsuko playing the mother rather than the daughter in this one. It's basically the same as the other Ozu, quite good, but not different enough for me to really place above or below the others. Even if this one is in color.